Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #11
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    Default Re: Any member familiar with night vision optics?

    I use night optics at work, sometimes 6-7 nights a month. I have used different models and with what I know from experience personally myself I wouldn't bother unless I was willing to spend the thousands necessary to get the right thing. Digital tech is catching up but it's a battery hog and has some issues.

  2. #12
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    Default Re: Any member familiar with night vision optics?

    Quote Originally Posted by ar15jules View Post
    CHEAP ie made in China or Russia and available for sale here can actually cause permanent eye damage. I was recently in a low light instructor level course and learned of the potential for leaking radiation directly into your eye. Just an FYI
    Any links to eye damage? I can not find any.
    The Gun is the Badge of a Free Man

  3. #13
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    Default Re: Any member familiar with night vision optics?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gunsnwater View Post
    Any links to eye damage? I can not find any.
    I will check in my class materials when I get back to work on Tuesday.

  4. #14
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    Moscow, Pennsylvania
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    Default Re: Any member familiar with night vision optics?

    Several years back there was a report someplace on the internet about how Russian 1PN34 and 1PN58 night vision scopes were causing cataracts in users eyes. These are now relics of night vision, never were very good scopes. More of a collectible for AK lovers.

    Having played with one of these, I can confirm they do emit a high frequency hum, and have crappy resolution. The hum is the power converter/electronics trying to get every ounce of power from a small battery, to operate the intensifier tube.

    Most casual users of cheap night vision simply put a few hundred hours, not days on end, on their equipment. If you need something for serious work, invest in the best you can afford. If using for night hunts, middle of the road night vision should do just fine. If it's job related, buy the best and write-off the cost on your taxes as job related equipment.

  5. #15
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    Default Re: Any member familiar with night vision optics?

    The cheapest night vision worth buying is a used PVS-14 monocular with a gen 3 tube. It can be mounted on your head or mounted on a rifle. Some people are happy with a gen 2 tube but the depth perception and image quality are lacking and not worthwhile. PVS-7 sucks in my opinion. I see used PVS-14s posted on tac swap, arfcom EE, and FB groups.

    I have seen units recently used, with a small blem (small black dot in your optic) for as low as $1,600.

    You will also need:

    -ballistic helmet, plastic bump helmet, or skull crusher night cap to wear on your noggin OR a rifle mount for the optic

    -mount for the helmet, like a cheap surplus rhino arm or a more expensive norotos arm

    -J-arm to mount the PVS-14 to the rhino arm, also cheap with bayonet interface, dove tail inference is more money

    -some type of IR illumination, hand held or weapon mounted, the IR illuminater built into the PVS-14 isn't good for much

    -an IR laser for aiming your rifle is you need it, $475+ for an OTAL-C IR laser, some cheaper stuff is out there but quality can vary

    Buying a USEFUL night vision device is an investment for sure, but not much more than buying a couple of decent guns, and it makes you very dangerous at night so in my opinion it is worthwhile and I have made the investment. I'm also fortunate to have a pretty decent circle of friends with night vision and we regularly shoot together. I almost shoot as much with night vision as I do during day time.
    In America arms are free merchandise such that anyone who has the capital may make their houses into armories and their gardens into parks of artillery. - Ira Allen, 1796

  6. #16
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    Default Re: Any member familiar with night vision optics?

    Night vision has a limited usage lifespan.
    Buying used means you don't know how many hours have been put on it, or how much it has been banged around.

    There are guys that mount PVS-14's on higher caliber rifles that bounce it around beyond its intended usage shortening its lifespan.
    There are guys that burn out and degrade the tubes by overexposing them to bright light.
    There are also the issues of hack outfits assembling their own optics, and getting a reliable warranty from a reputable seller.

    Personally, I would not buy a used mystery item for 50% of cost if I planned to rely on the optic.
    I would save up the other 50% of the money and do it right, buy once cry once.
    Just my owe two.
    How can you have any cookies if you don't drink your milk?

  7. #17
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    Default Re: Any member familiar with night vision optics?

    A night vision tube is pretty durable and has quite a LONG life span. You can easily spot a tube that has been exposed to harmful light. Myself and people I know have nothing but great experiences buying used night vision. If a tube dies, I will replace it at a modest price, using one of the many small builders who are reputable and assembling night vision correctly.

    Copied from AR15.com:

    Photocathodes are affected mostly by light and secondly by age. They should last around 10,000 to 15,000 hours of actual use however and many of my tubes are much older than 10 years, including some very nice Gen3's. One of my tubes would be well over a quarter of a century and is still excellent.

    However here is my advice. You bought this as a tool right? So use it. Do not think of the age, nor of how long it will last. Take every opportunity to use it. Avoid using during the day of course and only use during late dusk/early dawn if it is too dark to see what you're looking at ( when it's almost completely dark is OK )

    If you manage to use all of it up, you can sit back and take some pride in that, because unless you're using it every single night for 8-hours straight like they do in the military, then it's very unlikely you will use up all your 15,000 hours of "typical dark night use" that it should be good for.

    If you turn it on and off all the time, then you can be sure that the switch will break before the tube ! LoL!... And you can always replace the tube. So as long as you want to use it, even if it's just wearing it while walking around and looking at stuff, well, use it that much.

    The only thing to worry about? Damage... Damage from looking directly at bright lights or accidently leaving it on will be immediate and instant. Avoid letting that happen and turn it off when not in use.

    But the only "mistake" you could make is to not use it, in the belief that it will increase the time your PVS-14 will function... Because if you're turning it off all the time to walk around in the dark, then it's not doing it's job and you're going to miss all the neat stuff you can see
    In America arms are free merchandise such that anyone who has the capital may make their houses into armories and their gardens into parks of artillery. - Ira Allen, 1796

  8. #18
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    Default Re: Any member familiar with night vision optics?

    Quote Originally Posted by JoshIronshaft View Post
    A night vision tube is pretty durable and has quite a LONG life span. You can easily spot a tube that has been exposed to harmful light. Myself and people I know have nothing but great experiences buying used night vision. If a tube dies, I will replace it at a modest price, using one of the many small builders who are reputable and assembling night vision correctly.

    Copied from AR15.com:

    Photocathodes are affected mostly by light and secondly by age. They should last around 10,000 to 15,000 hours of actual use however and many of my tubes are much older than 10 years, including some very nice Gen3's. One of my tubes would be well over a quarter of a century and is still excellent.

    However here is my advice. You bought this as a tool right? So use it. Do not think of the age, nor of how long it will last. Take every opportunity to use it. Avoid using during the day of course and only use during late dusk/early dawn if it is too dark to see what you're looking at ( when it's almost completely dark is OK )

    If you manage to use all of it up, you can sit back and take some pride in that, because unless you're using it every single night for 8-hours straight like they do in the military, then it's very unlikely you will use up all your 15,000 hours of "typical dark night use" that it should be good for.

    If you turn it on and off all the time, then you can be sure that the switch will break before the tube ! LoL!... And you can always replace the tube. So as long as you want to use it, even if it's just wearing it while walking around and looking at stuff, well, use it that much.

    The only thing to worry about? Damage... Damage from looking directly at bright lights or accidently leaving it on will be immediate and instant. Avoid letting that happen and turn it off when not in use.

    But the only "mistake" you could make is to not use it, in the belief that it will increase the time your PVS-14 will function... Because if you're turning it off all the time to walk around in the dark, then it's not doing it's job and you're going to miss all the neat stuff you can see
    That's my point.
    If a guy doesn't know how to handle it, he can easily ruin it.
    If a guy has no experience, he can easily buy a ruined optic.

    A guy trying to buy night vision at 50% of cost from whomever, likely doesn't know much about it or the various concerns.
    Lots of guys selling lots of used things on the internet are dumping stuff they have misused onto unsuspecting inexperienced people, night vision is no exception.

    There are not many guys out there who will learn anything from this thread who have the experience that you and I do.
    If they did they would not need our advice, and would not start the kind of thread expressed in the OP.

    I try to tailor my advice for the likely audience.
    Swapping tubes etc is next level for this intended audience, and would make more sense in a next level thread after having stated all the things to be concerned about in detail.
    How can you have any cookies if you don't drink your milk?

  9. #19
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    Default Re: Any member familiar with night vision optics?

    Can't disagree with you. Buying used high end electronic gizmos of any variety requires a lot of research and hopefully having someone with experience to guide you. Some old fashioned good luck helps too.

    I just want a potential NV buyer to know that a used market exists and it can save you money. I agree with you that it should be approached with great caution.
    In America arms are free merchandise such that anyone who has the capital may make their houses into armories and their gardens into parks of artillery. - Ira Allen, 1796

  10. #20
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    Default Re: Any member familiar with night vision optics?

    Personally I would probably buy new but if you don't have the money then you can roll the dice on used.

    In my experience with PVS 14s being used all the time, in general they are fairly durable. The big issues I can see screwing them up actually is buffing out the lens with your t shirt and scratching the hell out of it. The other thing that can be a problem is the rhino mounts.

    Tube life for your average person I don't think is a worry because it's not like they will run them like the military does. They might put a few hours on them here or there, probably less than 20 hours a year. Realistically if you take care of them, don't expose them to excessive light, they will probably last your life time.

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